Examples of facilities which produce aboard onto which multiple components are mounted include a solder printing machine, a component mounting machine, a reflow machine, and a board inspection machine. It is common to link such facilities to configure a board product ion line. Furthermore, there are many cases in which multiple component mounting machines are arranged in series to configure a component mounting line. In order to sufficiently utilize the original device performance of a component mounting line to efficiently produce boards, technology is developed in which an optimization process is performed before starting the production. In the optimization process, multiple components to be mounted onto boards are allocated to multiple component mounting machines, and a simulation is performed to shorten and equalize cycle times which are required for mounting the components to a single board using each of the component mounting machines. In the simulation, changeable processing conditions are set in consideration of the properties of the board to be produced. Technical examples relating to this kind of optimization process are disclosed in PTL 1 (JP-A-2008-217451) and PTL 2 (Japanese Patent No. 3583121).
In an automatic production information collection system of PTL 1, in the production line in which multiple operators are arranged in order, the work time for each worker is acquired and the line balance efficiency of the work time is calculated and displayed. Accordingly, it is assumed that it is possible to ascertain the line balance efficiency in real time during the production, to ascertain factors which hinder the production, and to cope with improvements in production efficiency in real time. In other words, although there are differences between operators and component mounting machines, the object of improving the efficiency of production lines by equalizing the workload is common, and the line balance efficiency is used as an evaluation index.
Amounting tact monitoring method of PTL 2 collects and monitors a mounting tact actual value (the actual value of the cycle time) during operation from the component mounting machine, calculates the tact loss based on the mounting tact actual value and a standard mounting tact of a case in which the component mounting machine operates without loss, and analyzes causes of losses in the mounting tact actual value. Furthermore, according to the description of the embodiment, performing a theoretical calculation of the mounting tact and the tact loss instead of the mounting tact actual value is disclosed. Furthermore, a theoretical calculation of the mounting tact balance in the component mounting line is also disclosed, and the line balance efficiency is obtained using a simulation.
Incidentally, unlike the others, the structure of a portion of component mounting machines which configure a component mounting line may be allocated components of a specific component type. For example, there is a line configuration in which many of the component mounting machines are provided with feeder devices, and some of the component mounting machines are provided with tray devices. In this case, large-sized components which are supplied from the tray devices are allocated in a limited manner to the portion of the component mounting machines. For example, there is a line configuration in which only specific component mounting machines include an abnormal shape suction nozzle and are allocated only special odd-shaped components.
In such a line configuration, a component mounting machine to which components of a specific component type are allocated tends to have a small cycle time due to a limited number of component mounting points. Accordingly, the line balance efficiency worsens and evaluation of the optimization process becomes difficult. In a component mounting machine to which components of a specific component type are allocated, it is not possible to change the allocation of the components and it is difficult to improve the line balance efficiency. Therefore, when evaluating the optimization results and the line balance efficiency, it is favorable to exclude the component mounting machines to which components of a specific component type are allocated from consideration.
Meanwhile, the processing conditions which are set during the optimization process are not limited to being always set optimally. For example, a certain upper limit time is defined as a default value such that the optimization time which can be spent on the optimization process does not become an excessive processing time. Due to this restriction, there are often cases in which the optimization process is cut off before excellent optimization results are obtained, the process transitions to production, and the original device performance of the component mounting line may no longer be utilized. In the processing conditions, default conditions on the safe side which do not hinder the production of the board are set initially, and adverse effects due to the operator forgetting to set settings are prevented. Therefore, the operator may set appropriate processing conditions according to the board type of the board to be produced; however, the optimization processing being performed with default conditions unchanged occurs.
Furthermore, since it is unknown as to whether or not the operator at the workplace set the optimum processing conditions even if the optimization results are output, it is difficult to determine whether or not the optimization results are favorable and it is difficult to find improvement points. As a result, the component mounting line becomes unable to utilize the original device performance. Therefore, it is extremely important to set appropriate processing conditions, carry out the optimization process, and appropriately evaluate the optimization results.